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DuPont’s 25th Anniversary Applauds Packaging’s Value through the Years

WILMINGTON, Del., May 17, 2013 – DuPont celebrated the silver anniversary of its global packaging awards program last night, granting top honors to U.K.-based design firm pi global for AidPod, which delivers life-saving medicine to remote sub-Saharan villages. This unique packaging and distribution program captured the premier Diamond and the Special 25th Anniversary ‘Food Security’ award.

“Twenty-five years ago we saw the DuPont Awards for Packaging Innovation program as an opportunity to connect with this vibrant industry and to champion collaboration as a critical component in innovation,” said William J. Harvey, president of DuPont Packaging & Industrial Polymers. “Twenty-five years later – as we look back at breakthrough winners and celebrate this year’s winners – it’s clear that collaboration remains central to bringing innovation to market.”

This year’s top winner epitomized collaboration and showcased how packaging adds value, according to Shanna Moore, leader of the DuPont Packaging Awards program. AidPod was developed by pi global for ColaLife, an independent non-profit organization that leverages The Coca-Cola Company (TCCC) distribution network to get medicines and instructions to remote areas. The AidPod is a self-contained anti- diarrheal kit that tucks between bottles in Coca-Cola crates. This winning-generation AidPod has evolved to become part of the kit itself, serving as both a single, measured dose mixing and drinking vessel.

"It's not just small packages that good things come in – it's clever ones, too," U.S. Senator Chris Coons said. "The AidPod is proof that the combination of ingenuity, innovation and inspiration is powerful enough to overcome the world's greatest humanitarian challenges. ColaLife and pi 3's pairing of smart packaging with an effective distribution platform has enormous potential to make a real difference in sub-Saharan Africa." Senator Coons is chair of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on African Affairs.

As part of the quarter-century celebration, DuPont highlighted past winners whose breakthrough projects ushered in significant societal change and looked ahead at how packaging can shape society’s future. The event also honored past winners who have won 5 or more times with a DuPont Continuing Innovation Award. “The 25th anniversary event was a chance for packaging to shed its ‘silent hero’ role, step into the limelight and accept the accolades,” said Moore.

The DuPont Awards for Packaging Innovation is the industry's longest-running, global, independently judged celebration of innovation and collaboration throughout the value chain. Each year an esteemed panel awards diamond, gold or silver honors based on "excellence" in one or all of three categories: Innovation; Sustainability; and Cost/Waste Reduction. This year the independent judges granted one diamond, four gold and 10 silver awards for packaging in a diverse set of markets. Access a video history of the awards and its impact here.

Medicine remains difficult to obtain in remote villages in sub-Saharan Africa. Consequently, 15 percent of the mortality in this area for children under 5 years old is attributed to diarrhea, an easily treatable illness. Coca-Cola, however, is available almost everywhere in sub-Saharan Africa.

ColaLife, an independent non-profit UK-based agency with the idea to leverage the vast Coca-Cola network, collaborated with pi global, specifically pi 3, who developed a structural, self-contained package for an anti-diarrheal kit to nestle into unused space surrounding crated Coca-Cola bottles.

Called AidPod, the package is securely sealed with a strong film that can withstand severe impact, maintain pack integrity and prevent contamination. The AidPod also contains a soap packet separate from the rest of the contents to support hand washing. The medicine is packaged in single-dose sachets to be mixed with water in the AidPod container, which doubles as a clean mixing and drinking vessel.

Gold Winners
Innovation and Sustainability or Innovation and Cost/Waste Reduction

Ink Producer, Recovery Company Collaborate on Zero Waste to Landfill Program

BCM Inks, USA; Close the Loop. Ltd., USA

BCM Inks USA, Inc. partnered with Close the Loop materials recovery company to create a closed-loop system for used inkjet cartridges that result in zero waste to landfills. Close the Loop recovers the plastic and remainder ink from used cartridges. BCM Inks uses the recovered ink to develop a new water-based flexographic ink called ‘PCR (Post-Consumer Recycled) Black’ to print on corrugated shipping containers. One drum of PCR Black stops approximately 200,000 ink cartridges from going into a landfill. This recycling process recovers about 30 million ink cartridges a year.

Easy-Open Venus and Olay® Razor Packaging Delivers Convenience

Gillette® / Placon, USA; EcoStar, USA; Control Group, USA

Iconic brands need pioneering packaging which is why P&G Gillette collaborated with Placon on a frustration-free blister package for Venus & Olay® razors. Beyond the easy-open feature which combines a perforation/finger tab opening, the thermoformed inner tray, with over 50 percent post-consumer recycled PET material, holds all razor components on multiple planes in multiple-sized cavities. Heat-sealed on a curve, the lid utilizes a proprietary film and ink chemistry that withstands the direct heat required to seal the lid to the blister. Shedding 29 percent of its plastic content from previous packaging, the new package eliminates polyvinyl chloride (PVC) in favor of highly recyclable polyethylene terephthalate (PET).

Convenience Salad Bowl Gets More Sustainable

Coop Cooperative, Switzerland; Awtec, Switzerland

The original convenience salad bowl was very popular with consumers but came with a high amount of packaging and waste. It was bulky and not very convenient. Coop, therefore, decided to adapt a holistic approach to redesign its bowl by focusing on sustainability, convenience and economic aspects. Working with packaging designers and technologists, Coop reduced the packaging material by 30 percent by changing its original package from round to square and using recyclable polyester (RPET). The consumer-valued design enhancement features include a removable, multi-compartment tray that securely snaps onto the container as a lid and a “shake” function that allows consumers to conveniently mix the salad with the salad dressing.

In answer to consumers’ pleas, The Clorox Company redesigned its cleaning-product bottles to include SMART TUBE® Technology with a bayonet-style trigger that allows consumers to empty a spray bottle without tilting, shaking or otherwise struggling to use the last drops. Bottles made with SMART TUBE® Technology feature a dip tube blown into the front of the bottle and a new all-plastic trigger. The fact that consumers can use every drop reduces about 81,000 gallons of wasted formula annually.

Silver

The iCel® polyamide-based sausage casing challenges cellulose, collagen and natural sausage casings in that it retains the benefits of both permeable and barrier films. iCel® combines the high smoke and water vapor permeability of cellulose casings with optimal mechanical properties while maintaining a thin structure. Smoking and cooking times are reduced. The high mechanical strength and elasticity of the polyamide-based casings allow the meat-processing industry to use high processing speeds during the sausage manufacturing process. Since production of the casing doesn’t require wet processes, such as solution-cast and reagent-induced precipitation, typically used to make casings of collagen or cellulose, it is much cleaner and fewer harsh chemicals are needed to produce the sausage. The oxygen barrier and relatively high moisture barrier prolong shelf life, preserve flavor, and significantly increase product yield by keeping the moisture inside the product during thermal treatment.

Amcor redesigned its pharmaceutical blister pack to improve moisture protection. While aluminum blister is made up of layer laminates that are complete barriers against moisture, humidity can enter through open edges and through the perforation lines between each cavity. In its new design, Amcor reduced the size of the single cavities and removed the perforation lines so that moisture can diffuse only though the open edge of the blister. This improves the blister’s moisture protection by more than 40 percent and reduces the quantity of material that is used to pack the same number of tablets by 33 percent.

Inspired by lotus leaves, TOYAL LOTUS® is an innovative functional packaging material used for yogurt container lids. The inside sealing surface of the lid made with TOYAL LOTUS® offers extremely high water repellency. This material prevents the adhesion of yogurt to the inside surface of the lid allowing it to stay clean and providing an added sanitation benefit, meeting the needs of their consumers.

Folmex met a need in the Mexican market for easy to open and high-gloss flexible packages for powder laundry detergent. The company developed a polyethylene-based, high-gloss package that delivers a gloss measurement typically achieved with oriented polypropylene (OPP). Furthermore, the structure was downgauged by 21 percent, eliminating 111 tons (or 245,670 pounds) of material/year and saving 20 tons of CO2 that is directly attributable to the films’ extrusion process. The downgauging has also helped the brand owner increase its product-to-package ratio by 27 percent and decrease CO2 emissions from transportation by 22 percent.

The Clearly Clean tray is the only recyclable Modified Atmosphere Package (MAP) in the world. This MAP tray, made from recycled PET, for meat, chicken, entrees and seafood features a peel-away liner that, when removed, allows the tray to be recycled again. The ultra-thin, patented system provides barrier protection to maintain shelf life and can be printed to meet marketing objectives. Clearly Clean is proud to be able to help companies extend their sustainability practices to minimize the impact on the environment.

3D IML combines MuCell technology with IML label technology to offer a unique visual appearance and soft touch effect to packages, providing differentiation without changing the container shape. The 3D in-mold label is processed with an injection-molded tub made of expanded polypropylene to incorporate selective masking, creating areas without adhesion. The MuCell process controls the introduction of nitrogen into the polymer. Where there is adhesion between the label and the polymer, the nitrogen migrates through both structures. Where there is no adhesion (by design), the nitrogen accumulates between the polymer substrate and the label. The process creates bubble patterns or Braille for a multi-sensory experience.

In its Baked Naturals® Cracker Chips bag, Pepperidge Farm is the first to use an innovative re-close Seal Tab® technology. The new technology, developed in collaboration with Sonoco Flexibles, significantly improves consumers’ experience while supporting a strong brand identity. The packaging features a large and visible re-close tab with a pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA) system incorporated into the film lamination. The result is greater surface area and better adhesion without obstructing brand messaging.

Not your grandmother’s soup, new Campbell’s Go Soups feature exciting flavors in a bold pouch that speaks directly to the younger generation. Campbell’s Go Soup is packaged in a flexible, standup retort pouch that stands out from other soups on the store shelves and offers greater consumer convenience. Designed to appeal to young consumers who are constantly on the move, this pouch is microwaveable and enables a short cook time. The clear gusset on the pouch helps it to stand up on shelves and also allows consumers to have a peek at the unique ingredients that make up the product inside.

Heinz Freshens Iconic Ketchup Bottle

Heinz, USA; Graham Packaging; Aptar

The new Heinz® Ketchup bottle improves production, cost efficiency, brand equity, merchandising and consumer usage. The new design, inspired by Heinz® Tomato Ketchup’s long history, incorporates several key elements from the iconic octagon-shaped 14 oz. glass ketchup bottle. The label panel geometry replicates the facets of the iconic ketchup bottle. In addition to the brand equity and aesthetic elements of the new design, the bottle design provides stability under load and a squeezable area that quickly rebounds so the next person doesn’t have to “anticipate” using the ketchup. The new bottle design also reduces overall package material use by more than 20 percent by weight.

Made from a single sheet of 100 percent high-density polyethylene (HDPE), the Heartlight® Balloon Catheter Die Cut Tray is a 3-dimensional functionally rigid tray that provides specialized protection to the highly complex and fragile HeartLight® Cardiac Ablation system. This tray features five different die cut holds (finger tabs, carabineer closures, belt style tabs, U-shaped pop ups, and semi-circle end flaps) that are designed to keep the different parts of the medical device secure during transportation while allowing for easy removal during use. The tray is shipped flat and is assembled when the product is loaded, allowing for greater transport efficiency; forty empty die-cut trays can fit in the space of one of the original thermoformed trays.

DuPont Packaging & Industrial Polymers manufactures an extensive mix of adhesive, barrier, peelable lidding and sealant resins and provides a globally networked development team to work with customers on packaging programs that help protect the product, environment, improve shelf appeal, convenience and reduce cost in the food, cosmetics, medical products and other consumer goods and industrial packaging industries.

DuPont – one of the first companies to publicly establish environmental goals more than 20 years ago – has broadened its sustainability commitments beyond internal footprint reduction to include market-driven targets for both revenue and research and development investment. The goals are tied directly to business growth, specifically to the development of safer and environmentally improved new products for key global markets.

DuPont (NYSE: DD) has been bringing world-class science and engineering to the global marketplace in the form of innovative products, materials, and services since 1802. The company believes that by collaborating with customers, governments, NGOs, and thought leaders we can help find solutions to such global challenges as providing enough healthy food for people everywhere, decreasing dependence on fossil fuels, and protecting life and the environment. For additional information about DuPont and its commitment to inclusive innovation, please visit www.dupont.com.

The DuPont Oval Logo and DuPont™ are registered trademarks or trademarks of DuPont or its affiliates.
Venus & Olay® and Gillette® are registered trademarks of The Procter & Gamble Company, USA.
Clorox® and SmartTube® are registered trademarks of The Clorox Company, USA.
iCel® is a registered trademark of Atlantis-Pak, Russia.
Formpack® is a registered trademark of Amcor Flexibles Singen GmbH.
TOYAL LOTUS® is a registered trademark of TOYO ALUMINIUM KABUSHIKI KAISHA, Japan.
Baked Naturals® and Campbell’s Go™ are registered trademark and trademark of the Campbell Soup Company, USA.
SealTab® is a registered trademark of SPC Resources, Inc., USA.
Heinz® is a registered trademark of H.J. Heinz Company, USA.
Heartlight® is a registered trademark of CardioFocus, Inc., USA.